Sculptures in Oslo go hand-in-hand. I spotted them all over the city. Having public pieces of art, open for interaction and interpretation is fantastic. I wish cities, residents and visitors appreciated art pieces more often.
In Oslo, they were everywhere. There were some at the new harbour front, I even found a new friend:
The most impressive collection of sculptures was in Frogner Park, in particular the Vigeland Sculpture Park. I thoroughly enjoyed the Oslo Winter Walks tour through the Vigeland Museum. The tour guide was able to give us a bit of a background on the artists and his family and love life. He'd had a son with his first wife and then left them with only money and no relationship. The rest of his life was filled with long-term relationships with his assistants and helpers. That being said he never developed a proper relationship with his son. This is interesting seeing as the theme of circle of life with parent-child relationships and husband-wife relationships are prevalent throughout the park.
The Vigeland Monolith is found at the centre of the park - Vigeland and his stone cutters began work on the Monolith in 1929 and was completed in 1943. It is an incredible sculpture that is intricate, delicate and immense all in one go. The 121 human figures that make up the Monolith represent the cycle of life: some people battle to reach the top while others accept their place in life.
There are 212 bronze and granite statues in the park. Vigeland donated all of his work to the city of Oslo.
His sculptures are playful:
Intimate:
Cheeky:
And a little bit famous:
Then there are sculptures that just beg you to have fun. When it's completely unexpected that's when you have the most fun:
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